Mozart’s Monthly Memos
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What Are Preschool Piano Lessons? - Volume 21
Feature Article - What Are Preschool Piano Lessons?
What do piano lessons look like for a preschool-aged child?
This is such a common question! I get it from parents, piano teachers and curious friends. In fact, when I started Move Over Mozart in Washington, in 1994, I was advised against teaching piano to such young children by other, supposedly more experienced piano and music teachers. But the market has changed and now, product and services are in response to the demands of the parents. With nearly 30 years experience, we are one of the few piano schools that offers a quality piano program specifically for the preschool-aged child.
Why is our piano program for young children the best? First we consider common characteristics of being a child. They are active, curious, and . . .
Reminiscing About Past Recitals - Volume 20
Feature Article - Reminiscing About Past Recitals
With our Spring Recital coming up later this month, I thought it would be fun to remember some special moments of our past recitals.
Our first recital was the Spring of 1995. We had it at the Prosser Piano Store in Seattle. I had pasted each recital song on colorful card stock for the students to perform from and then take home. This turned out to be a lot more work than I anticipated and was up quite late the night before getting everything ready, . . .
Purchasing a Keyboard or Piano (Part 2 of 2) - Volume 19
Feature Article - Purchasing a Keyboard or Piano (Part 2 of 2)
Last month I gave features to look for when making your keyboard purchase. However, if you have a choice, I would ALWAYS choose the piano over the keyboard. Number one reason? It sounds better!
Keyboards get their sound by recording someone playing a concert grand. Nicer digital pianos will have several recordings for each key, while the more inexpensive keyboards will have much less. Each key on a piano has at least 35 points of adjustment, meaning an accomplished pianist can create multiple sounds from each key just by the way it is touched and played. A simple example would be by playing staccato. A keyboard has a certain amount of reverb programmed into each key, making it impossible to play a true, quick staccato. On a piano, there are various degrees of staccato depending on how crisp and short the note should be played. Students that learn solely on a keyboard are at a huge disadvantage in their technique and quality of sound.
Aside from this, here are some other pros of the piano versus a keyboard.
Purchasing a Keyboard or Piano (Part 1 of 2) - Volume 18
Feature Article - Purchasing a Keyboard or Piano (Part 1 of 2)
This two-part article will give you specifics to look for when making the decision to purchase your instrument. Today I will focus on purchasing a keyboard. Next month will focus on purchasing a piano.
In today's academically competitive environment, many parents recognize the value of music education for their child. However, purchasing a piano for piano lessons is not always a viable option. There are many pros for having a keyboard instead of a piano. But, be careful! There are some keyboards that will actually hinder your child's ability to play!